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Microsoft is releasing their Windows VISTA operating system in late January 2007. Information Resources & Technology Services (IRT) recommends the Windows XP Professional operating system rather than the Windows VISTA OS until the summer of 2007 (the exact date will be published in the IRT Tech Update). This will allow time for training staff in the support of VISTA and for the many expected initial bug fixes to be released.
If you are purchasing a computer now and want to upgrade to Windows VISTA at some point in the future you should purchase a system that is VISTA ready. Although Microsoft has published their own specifications for Windows VISTA capable PCs ( http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/capable.mspx ), computers should meet the following specifications to perform optimally with Windows VISTA:
- Dual Core 2.0 GHz Pentium 4 with 800 MHz data bus speed or higher
- 2 GB of RAM or higher
- 80 GB hard disk or higher
- A DirectX 9 graphics processor with 256 Mb cache video RAM or higher
When running Windows VISTA, it is important to note that the more RAM that is available the better. Remember that your monitor's display quality also depends on the quality of your video card. If you purchase a high-quality, large screen, also buy a video card that has high resolution and refresh capabilities. To utilize the high-graphic capabilities in Windows VISTA it is imperative that you purchase a discrete video card that has at least 128 MB of RAM. A discrete video card is recommended because they have their own high speed memory allotted for their use and are usually separate from the motherboard. Windows VISTA is designed in such a way that the operating system itself can realize a real performance gain from a dual core processor.
It's important to note that you do not need to buy a new computer to run Windows VISTA. Microsoft provides an upgrade advisor program to download at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/upgradeadvisor/default.mspx . This program will scan you computer for potential problems that you may have if you try to run Windows VISTA on your existing computer. The recommendations may be as simple as updating a mouse driver or suggesting that you get a video card upgrade. For more information about Windows VISTA and for other helpful Microsoft links go to the IRT Windows VISTA information page at http://www.drexel.edu/IRT/support/winvista/
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